The actions of a councillor who took public money for a tree project that never went ahead will be discussed by an audit ands standards committee – but only behind closed doors.
Cllr Thomas Loughbrough-Rudd was given £924 between March and May 2021, but has only paid the money back this month after an investigation found he had neither purchased nor planted any trees.
The matter will be debated at Staffordshire County Council’s audit and standards committee meeting next week.
However, the public and media will be unable to hear what is discussed after the authority opted to make the item private.
A listing on the agenda for the meeting states:
“Reactive Fraud Investigation – Whistleblowing Climate Change Action Fund Scheme and Breach in Standards of Public Life”
Audit and standards committee agenda at Staffordshire County Council
But no reason for the exemption – unlike a number of other items due to be heard in private at the meeting – is given in the agenda on the county council website.
A Staffordshire County Council spokesperson said:
“All audit reports are considered in the private section of the audit and standards committee to allow confidential matters to be fully scrutinised.”
Staffordshire County Council spokesperson
The Local Government Act 1972 allows local authorities to discuss some matters behind closed doors for reasons such as commercially sensitive information.
Cllr Steve Norman, leader of the Labour group at Lichfield District Council and a member of Burntwood Town Council, said he hoped the county council would rethink the decision to hear the item in private
“My Labour colleagues at the county council are also pressing for this because of the damage to the council’s reputation for competency and proper governance.
“We will see if the Staffordshire County Council leader Cllr Alan White, who was also Thomas Loughbrough-Rudd’s election agent and also sits on Lichfield District Council’s audit and standards committee, allows some of the report at least – that part concerning the management and oversight of it – be in public or not.
“Transparency is one of the standards in public life all councillors sign up to and should therefore also apply to councils.”
Cllr Steve Norman, Lichfield District Council
The meeting of the audit and standards committee at Staffordshire County Council will be held on 22nd March.
